Automatic device for closing elevator-hatchway doors



(.No Model.)

G. JIDICKSON. I AUTOMATIC DEVICE FOR CLOSING ELEVATOR HATGHWAY DOORS.

No. 416,583. Patented Dec. 3, 1889.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GILBER'FFJ. DICKSON, OF ALBANY, NEV YORK.

AUTOMATIC DEVICE FOR CLOSING ELEVATOR-HATCHWAY DOORS.

' SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 416,583, dated December 3, 1889.

Application filed March 23, 1889.

Be it known that I, GILBERT J. DICKSON, of the city and county of Albany, in the State of New York, have invented a new and useful Automatic Apparatus for Closing the Doors of Passenger-Elevators, of which the following is a specification. I

My invention relates to an apparatus or attachment for passenger-elevators whereby the doors which close the doorways. leading into the shaft in which the passenger-car travels will be automatically closed by said car; and the object of my invention'is to provide a redoors of passenger-elevator shafts by the car while moving in either direction, and thereby avoiding the liability of accident and loss of life incident to falling down said shaft by reason of the failure of the person operating said elevator to close said doors. This object I attain by the means illustrated in the accompanying drawings, which are herein referred to and form part of this specification, and in which Figure 1 is a vertical section of part of an elevator-shaft and part of the passenger-car, parts of the latter being broken away to ex pose parts that would otherwise be concealed the door being drawn back to open the doorway. Fig. 2 is a like section with the door closed over the doorway. Fig. 3 is an enlarged rear elevation of the arms for operating the door-closing arm, showing the said parts in their normal positions;- and Fig. 4 is a like elevation of said arms in position at the moment the closing movement of the door is completed.

As represented in the drawings, A designates the shaft or well-hole in which the passenger-car B of the elevator moves either upwardly or downwardly. Said shaft and car,

structed in any of the common and wellknown forms. r

O is a door which closes the doorway-D, which communicates between the shaft A and one of the floors of the building wherein the elevator is erected. Said door is fitted with rollers l, which run on an overhead rail 2 in the usual way of hanging such doors, and it is also fitted with a spring-latch 3,which engages with a striker 4 on a fixed part of the sain No. 304,480. (No modeL).

casing of the doorway. Said latch, like others used for alike purpose, can only bedisengaged from the striker from the inside of the shaft A or by those in the car B. The lower end of the door 0 is preferably fitted to slide on a track 5, that is secured to the sill-piece at the bottom of the doorway D. A bracket E, that is secured to said sill-piece, has on its outer face a pair of arms F, which are geared together so as to swing in opposite directions in a vertical plane. The uppermost one of said arms is fitted to vibrate on a stud 6, which is fixed in said bracket, and the lowermost of said arms is secured to the outer end of a shaft 7, that is journaled in said bracket.

iary arm is provided with a shoulder 10, which engages in a corresponding notch in the arm F, so that the latter and the auxiliary arm pivoted thereto will be inflexible when force is applied to said auxiliary to move the arm F in the proper direction. A spring 11 forms a connection from the arm F to the auxiliary arm 8 for the purpose of returning the latter to position where its shoulder 10 will engage in the notch of arm F as soon as the adverse force is removed from its action upon the auxiliary arm-that is to say, to restore the latter to the position shown by the full lines of Figs. 3 and 4.. An arm G, which has a spring-like quality, is secured to the shaft 7, and at its upper end it is provided with a roller 12, which is adapted to bear against one edge of the door 0 in the operation of closing the latter. A spring H is connected with the arm G for the purpose of restoring the arms F and G to their normal positions taining said midway position said spur, if the car B is moving upwardly, will come in contact with the lower edge of the auxiliary arm attached to the lowermost of the pair of arms F, and by forcing said auxiliary arm to swing upwardly out of the path of said stud the latter will reach said position without producing any movement of the arm G; but if said upward movement of the car is then continued the said stud will come in contact with the lower edge of the uppermost of said pair of arms and swing said arm upwardly, thereby, by reason of the quadrantal gears of said pair ofarms, producing a partial rotation of the shaft 7 and a corresponding movement of the arm G, which, if the doorC is open, will effect the closing of the door; but if the latter is closed the arm G will swing over into contact therewith until the stud I has passed from contact with the arm F with which it has been engaged, whereupon .the arm G is restored to its normal position by the resilience of the spring H. The downward movement of the car B produces a like movement of the arm G; but in the latter case the stud I is brought into contact with the upper edge of the auxiliary arm attached to the uppermost of the pair of arms F, which is thereby deflected downward, and by said studs pressure on the upper edge of the lowermost of said pair of arms the arm G is moved in the manner above described.

It should be understood that the opening movement of the door 0 must be effected by a person who is inside of car B, and the closing movement of said door may be effected in the same manner; but if through neglect or other cause a failure to close the door occurs the latter movement will be automatically effected by the movement of the car when provided with my invention.

When the door 0 is closed by a downward movement of the car B, said door will be completely closed when said car has reached a point that is below the bottom of the doorway D, as shown in Fig. 2, and in the upward movement of the car the door will be closed when the car has attained a position where its floor will be about the same distance above the bottom of said doorway as it does below the same place when said car is descending and effects the closing movement of the door.

I claim as my invention The combination of a sliding door for an elevator-shaft, an elevator-car provided with an arm or stud, a pair of vibratile arms which are geared together to swing in opposite directions and each having an auxiliary arm pivoted thereto, a door-closing arm having motion coincidently with one of said vibratile arms, and a retractingspring that is adapted to return said door-closing arm and vibratile arms to their normal positions, said stud being adapted to engage with said vibratile arms and effect the closing of said door, as and for the purpose herein specified.

GILBERT J. DIOKSON.

Witnesses:

WM. 11. Low, JOHN C. FELTMAN. 

